Automatic two-sides chalk sharpeners



Feb. 28, 1956 1. KALISH 2,736,293

AUTOMATIC TWO-SIDES CHALK SHARPENERS Filed March 25, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

ISAA C KA L/S H A 77'0RNEY United States Patent AUTOMATIC TWO-SIDES (IHALK SHARPENERS Isaac Kalish, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 25, 1955, Serial No. 496,714

3 Claims. (Cl. 120-89) The present invention relates to improvements in sharpening devices and, more specifically to a new and improved device for imparting sharp suitable marking'edges to tailors chalks.

The pieces of chalk conventionally employed by tailors in marking cloth are of fiat rectangular configuration, tapered on opposite end portions to effect sharp marking edges. These chalks are made of a wax-like material, and the marking edges become dull after relatively little usage, so that frequent re-sharpening is necessary. The manual sharpening of the chalks by means of a knife, a razor blade, or the like is hazardous, possibly causing serious injuries, is time consuming, ordinarily does not result in uniform sharp cutting edges of the best possible configuration, and causes a waste of chalk and the spreading of chalk shavings over the cutting table or the floor, all of which is highly objectionable.

Various chalk sharpening devices have been proposed. However, the hitherto known devices of this type were either complicated and expensive, or inaccurate in operation, or not usable for chalks worn down to small sizes, or the like.

Therefore, one object of the present invention is the provision of a'device of the character described which instantaneously will impart to the chalks marking edges of an optimum of configuration, without requiring any considerable amount of skill or effort on the part of the operator.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is applicable to chalks of various dimensions and configurations without requiringany manual adjustment.

Afurther object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is capable of imparting marking edges to chalks worn to very small dimensions, whose sharpening elements require no cleaning and a minimum of attention, and which will retain in itself the chalk shavings.

Yet still'another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, light in weight, simple and easy to operate, and small in size, but which also is sturdy, durable and well adapted. for withstanding the rough usage to which devices of this type frequently are subjected.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction, and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodimentof my invention;

Fig; 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front view thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4--4 of'Fig. 3;'

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fractional sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4; and,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fractional sectional view on the line 7-7 of'Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing the numeral 1 denotes a housing which has a bottom 2 as well as side walls 3, 4, 5 and 6, and whose open top portion is normally closed by a removable cover 7. The cover 7 is provided with a longitudinal opening 10, which is so dimensioned that a piece of tailors chalk 11 (Fig. 5) can be inserted therethrough into the housing 1. Within the housing 1 I prefer to provide any suitable means for receiving the piece of chalk and for frictionally engaging the same, so that the chalk can be forced by a pusher or the like through an opening formed by triangular cutting surfaces of a pair of knives 12 and 14 one of which is slidably mounted on the wall 4 and is biased against the other knife that is stationary. I prefer to carry out this feature of my invention in the manner shown in the drawing where the following details are illustrated: Said means for receiving a piece of chalk in the instance shown comprise a pair of curved jaw blades 15, each of which has at its lower portion a pair of narrow, longitudinal sections 17. The sections 17 are substantially right-angularly disposed to the main portions of the jaw'blades 15. There are also provided two gripping blades 22, one for each blade 15. Each gripping blade 22 has a pair of angularly bent end portions 21 provided with slots 20. Each one of the sections 17 of the blades 15 extends through a slot 20, extend slidably through openings 24 in bracket portions 25, which extend upwardly from the bottom portion 2 of the casing 1. The blades 22 are hinged to each other at 27, and between the portions 17 and 21 are interposed springs 30 which tend to force the blades 15 downward, from their positions shown in Fig. 5, toward the portions 23, into the positions shown in Figs. 4 and 6.

A handle member 31,'which preferably is formed as a wide plate substantially extending over the width of the wall 4 of the housing 1, has downwardly extending lug portions 32 which are pivoted at 33 to lug portions 34 of the wall 4. Secured to the lug portions 32 of the plate 31 are levers 35 which extend into the'housing 1 through openings 37 in the wall 4. Within the housing 1, and beneath the strip portions 17 there are, intermediate the blades 22 and the inner sides of the walls 3 and 5 respectively, a pair of rods 40, each of which has one of its ends pivoted at 41 to the outer extremity of a lever 35 while its other end is pivoted at 42 to a lever 43. There are two levers 43, one of which is pivoted at 45 to the wall 3, while the other one is pivoted at 47 to the wall 5. Normally, when the handle member 31 isdisengaged, the parts 15,17, 22, 31,35, 40 and 43 are in the original positions shown in full lines in Figs. 4 and 6. When themember 31 is depressed by a finger of the operatorshand, the parts 15, 17 and 22 are in the positions shown in Fig. 5, and the parts 31, 39, 40 and 43 are in the positions indicated by dashand-dotted lines in Fig. 4, so that'the jaw blades 15 are openand are raised toward the opening 10; thus the chalk receiving means are ready for receiving a piece of chalk 11 inserted into the housing 1 through the open.- ing 10. When then the handle member 31 is released, the springs 30 will force the parts 15, 17, 22, 31, 35, 40 and 43 back to their original positions previously referrcd to, in which positions the chalk is held by frictional engagement by means of the jaw blades 15. The lower portions of the blades 22 intermediate the hinges 27 are in spaced relation to each other, as may be seen in Fig. 5, and a reduced portion 58 intermediate a main portion 51 and a curved lower portion 53 of a pusher 54 is slidable between said lower portions of the blades 22. The main portion 51 of the pusher 54 is pivoted at 55 to one end of a rod 57, Whose other end is pivoted at 6% to a lever 61. The pusher 54 preferably has a reduced front portion 62, and the lever 61 is secured to a shaft 63 which extends rotatably through the wall and through a bracket portion 64. A handle 67 is secured to the shaft 63 outside of the housing 1. If

the handle 67 is moved in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the lever 61 also moves in a clockwise direction, and by means of the rod 57 pushes the pusher 54 toward the knives 12 and 14. The knife 14 is secured to the Wall 4 by means of a screw 70 or the like, and a spacing member 71 (Fig. 4) is interposed between the knife 14 and the wall 4 so that the major portion of the knife 14, which major portion is provided with a cutting edge 71 that is formed as an inverted V, is in spaced relation to the wall 4, thus allowing the major portion of the knife 12, which has a V-shaped cutting edge 72 to slide up and down between the knife 14 and the wall 4. Springs 73, interposed between the bottom 2 and the lower end of the knife 12, tend to force the knife 12 upwardly. Thus a chalk 11, held in a comparatively slight frictional engagement by the blades 15, can be pushed by means of the members 51, 54, 57, 6t}, 61, 63 and 67 through the space encompassed by the blades and through the opening formed by the V-shaped cutting edges of the knives 12 and 14. Said opening Will adjust its size automatically to the size of the piece of chalk, and the pressure of the springs 73 will cause sutficient friction of said cutting edges 71 and 72 on the chalk as to shave off so much therefrom that the chalk will become sharpened on opposite sides. The sharpened chalk l1 finally will be pushed through an opening 74 in the wall 4 out of the housing 1. The handle plate 31 can be made so wide that it will receive the sharpened chalk, so that the same will not drop on the fioor, or on a table or the like on which my new and improved sharpening device is placed. The shavings of the sharpened piece of chalk will fall to the bottom 2 of the housing 1, and will be accumulated the-rein. From time to time the cover 7 can be opened and the accumulated shavings can be removed from the casing 1. A spring 75 interposed between the lever 61 and the wall 6 of the casing 1 tends to move the parts 61, 63 and 67 in a counterclockwise direction, so that upon releasing of the handle 67 the pusher 54 will move back to its original position, in which it is ready to act upon a next piece of chalk inserted through the opening 10 while the handle bar 31 is being depressed in the manner previously described.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the character described comprising a housing having a bottom as well as side wall portions one of which is provided with an opening, a cover memoer closing the top of said housing having a perforation for passing therethrough a piece of chalk, means for receiving said piece of chalk and for holding it in frictional engagement Within said housing, a first handle member mounted on the outer side of said housing, means for opening said chalk receiving means being connected to said first handle member, resilient means tending to close said chalk receiving means being provided on the same, chalk sharpening elements mounted on said housing adjacent the opening in one of said side wall portions of the housing, pushing means for forcing the piece of chalk held by said chalk receiving means through the same and through said sharpening elements being mounted on said housing, and a second handle member mounted on the outer side of said housing being connected to said pushing means.

2. A tailors chalk sharpening device comprising a housing having openings in its top and side Wall portions adapted for passing therethrough a piece of chalk, means for receiving said piece of chalk and for holding it in frictional engagement within said housing, a first knife having a cutting edge formed as an inverted V being secured to the upper section of a side wall portion of said housing near an opening thereof, a second knife having a V-shaped cutting edge being slidably mounted on the lower section of the side wall portion to which said first knife is secured, spring means interposed between said second knife and said housing tending to force said second knife upwardly, means for forcing the piece of chalk held by said chalk receiving means through the same and along the cutting edges of said knives.

3. A device of the character described comprising a housing having a bottom as Well as side wall portions one of which is provided with an opening, a cover member closing the top of said housing having a perforation for passing therethrough a piece of chalk, means for receiving said piece of chalk and for holding it in frictional engagement within said housing, a first handle member mounted on the outer side of said housing, means for opening said chalk receiving means being connected to said first handle member, resilient means tending to close said chalk receiving means being provided on the same, a first knife having a cutting edge formed as an inverted V being mounted on said housing near the opening in one of said side wall portions of the housing, a second knife having a V-shaped cutting edge being slidably mounted beneath said first knife, spring means interposed between said second knife and said housing tending to force said second knife upwardly, a pusher slidably mounted within the chalk receiving means being constructed and arranged for forcing the piece of chalk held by said chalk receiving means through the same and along the cutting edges of said knives, a lever pivotally mounted within said housing being linked to said pusher, and a second handle member mounted on the outer side of said housing being connected to said lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,096,099 Edgerton et al May l2, 1914 1,413,080 Waisrnan Apr. 18, 1922 1,486,570 Fine et al. Mar. ll, 1924 1,490,577 Anderson Apr. 15, 1924 2,138,597 Gold Nov. 29, 1938 2,588,499 Dubek Mar. 11, 1952 2,713,849 Consentino July 26, 1955 

